15 Most Disappointing Movies of All Time

High expectations usually lead to regrets and dismay. In the case of Hollywood, heavily marketed movies, astounding trailers and several years of waiting have seldom resulted in a great movie. Here are the 15 most disappointing movies of all time:

15. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The numerous reasons behind The Dark Knight Rises ending up as a disappointment are not hard to identify. Despite the previous two installments being a gem in terms of screenplay, the movie had several meek plot points that could have been easily avoided.

From Detective John Blake deducing Bruce Wayne as Batman based on facial recognition to Bane’s anticlimactic death, The Dark Knight Rises is not only the weakest installment of the trilogy but also the weakest movie during director Christopher Nolan’s prime. Not so surprisingly, it is the only installment of the trilogy that did not have even a single Academy Award nomination.

14. Ghostbusters 2 (1989)

Following the massive success of Ghostbusters and the animated series based on the movie, Columbia Pictures were more than eager to release a new installment and demanded writers and stars Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis to come up with a script for a sequel.

Both of them along with director Ivan Reitman were not enthusiastic about the idea since Ghostbusters was intended to be conclusive but upon studio’s persistence, the continued the story and came up with a less-than-stellar sequel. Even though Ghostbusters 2 was released at the peak of the franchise’s popularity, it hardly managed to receive any favorable reviews.

13. Alien 3 (1992)

The science fiction horror movieAlien was considered a landmark of both genres and its follow-up Aliens is among the few sequels better than the original. With the bar raised high, Alien 3 became one of the most anticipated movies of 1992.

However, the movie had an exceptionally troubled production. The studio refused to grant then-rookie director David Fincher any creative freedom, the budget kept bloating and the script was undergoing constant rewrites. The hostile behind-the-scenes situation resulted in an incredibly awful Aliens 3.

12. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (2001)

It had been sixteen long years since a Star Wars flick had hit the theatres. The franchise was still relevant as a pop cultural phenomenon and its loyal fan base never allowed it to fade away as a distant memory.

11. Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

L. James’ erotic novel of the same name became a New York Times Bestseller and caused such a sensation that it was only a matter of time that Fifty Shades of Grey was adapted into a movie.

After a long series of casting choices, a heavy marketing campaign that lasted over a year and a soundtrack featuring two songs from Beyoncé, the movie unexpectedly turned out to be a ridiculous mess.

10. Spider-Man 3 (2007)

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If cinematic failures have taught anything to Hollywood, it would be the notion of studio interference being a poison to an acclaimed director’s vision. As witnessed from Sam Raimi, the film-maker was on a roll with the release of Spider-Man and even a better sequel.

For reasons that made sense to Sony alone, they could not help themselves from forcing their own ideas into Raimi’s third Spidey movie e.g. including Venom as the third villain. Needless to say, the constant clashing of director and studio resulted in Spider-Man 3 being such a massive letdown, it was disowned by Raimi himself.

9. Batman & Robin (1997)

While Batman has been responsible for several outstanding movies over the years, the superhero has also had a fair share of awful moments. Fueled by earning money at the box office and merchandise, Warner Bros. milked the Batman brand by releasing the critically panned Batman & Robin.

8. Superman Returns (2006)

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After the ill-fated Superman IV: The Quest for Peace in 1987, it seemed unlikely that the caped superhero would be seen on the silver screen in the foreseeable future. In the years that would follow, five different Superman movies were under discussions only to be shelved for one reason to another.

It was not until 2004 when a brand new Superman movie titled Superman Returns was seriously undergoing development stages and the expectations were sky-high as it was going to be directed by none other than Bryan Singer who was exceptionally applauded for being the brains behind the first two successful X-Men movies.

Even the fans of the original Superman franchise were eager to see the movie as leading actor Brandon Routh had been cast purely on the basis of how he looked similar to Christopher Reeves. Unfortunately, the lengthy wait of 21 years to see the beloved superhero onscreen once again coupled with elevated anticipation drastically came crashing down as Superman Returns was a forgettable movie.